A registry showing who operates each accommodation, where it is located and under which number it appears on platforms: this is at the heart of the Czech Republic’s plan for short-term rentals. Its implementation, however, is proving more difficult than its announcement. eTurista has not yet gone live, and the legislation that will determine how it is used is still pending.
For industry professionals, the story is relevant beyond the Czech borders. It shows what is required for a market to move from scattered obligations and listings to a single system, where each listing can be matched to a specific accommodation.
What eTurista is designed to do
According to the Czech Ministry of Regional Development, eTurista is intended to become a central digital system for registering accommodations and their guests. The aim is for accommodation providers to submit the necessary information once, rather than deal separately with different obligations toward public authorities and municipalities. The ministry also links the project to more effective collection of local accommodation fees.
For properties offered through digital platforms, the key element of the plan is the unique registration number. Linking a listing to a verifiable number will allow authorities to identify which properties are active in the market and more easily detect listings that do not meet the requirements. This is, however, the planned mechanism — not an obligation currently enforced through eTurista.
Croatia’s example
The Czech Republic is not starting with an unfamiliar concept. In Croatia, eVisitor brings together in a national system the details of legal accommodation providers, guest registration and the calculation of the tourist tax. This is the key similarity with the planned eTurista: the activity of each accommodation receives a single digital footprint, rather than being reported separately to different authorities. The Czech Republic is additionally planning to link platform listings to a registration number, but the final obligations will depend on the law that is ultimately passed.
The plan is moving more slowly than announced
The timeline has shifted repeatedly. In a government presentation to business representatives in August 2026, the system was described as a central registry that would be operational from 2027. The latest update from the responsible ministry does not give a definitive launch date: it states that the legislative proposal is ready for consideration by Parliament and that internal testing of key functions is underway. Further development will follow the final form of the law.
The ministry is also clear about the current situation: the Czech Republic does not yet operate a registration procedure under the European framework in any part of the country, nor does it require, under that framework, activity data from short-term rental platforms. Therefore, earlier dates appearing in publications should not be presented as current deadlines for hosts and property managers.
Why it is not just a number on the listing
Registering a property is the most visible part of the plan. Behind it lies a more difficult task: determining which data will be collected, which authority will have access to each type of information and how existing obligations for accommodation providers will be connected to the new system.
This is also the key lesson for other European markets. A registry can help identify unregistered accommodations and enforce local rules. For it to work, however, the obligations must be clear and the digital tool must be ready for everyday use by professionals, platforms and public authorities.
In the Czech Republic, the direction has been set. What is still awaited is the final law and a reliable launch date. Until then, eTurista remains a planned change in market oversight, rather than an active registry that property managers are currently required to join.
